From The Vault
by TheBethM1
Summary: Alex is not a good person. Not by a long shot. And she wouldn't have it any other way. A sequel to Bye Bye Butch. Rated M for language and strong violence.


**Author's Note: My second continuous story, yay :D This chapter is based on an experience in game. The mentioned car dealership is located East of the Fairfax Ruins and Northwest of the Red Racer factory. There will be more character development as the story goes along, by the way... Enjoy! Feel free to request a character for Alex to run into if you review... **

From The Vault

_Chapter 1: Let's Go Sunning_

Alex crouched on the ridge overlooking the highway, one eye closed and the other watching a mangy looking Raider walk between the crashed and destroyed ancient cars. He held a Combat Shotgun and walked confidently through the ruins, clearly thinking he was unstoppable. He occasionally yelled "Gotcha asshole!" and pointed his shotgun at the empty space, obviously practicing for future raids. Alex watched him for a bit, biting her bottom lip to keep from bursting out laughing.

Alex hated pretty much everyone and everything in the Capitol Wasteland, but none more than Raiders. It wasn't just because they were disgusting and overconfident, but because they had scarred her in a way unlike any other Wasteland scum. Alex was about to think back to that day, but quickly shoved the memory back into the dark recesses of her mind. "Concentrate on the now, not the past," Alex quietly murmured to herself.

In short, the Raider seemed like a complete jackass, like most Raiders. Only he had a problem with talking to himself. He walked along the highway, his rough voice echoing throughout the open and quiet space. "I can't wait for some dumbass to come walking through here," He said followed by laughter. He stopped walking for a second, slinging his Combat Shotgun against his shoulder as he casually leaned against one of the burned out cars. He glanced around the area, making sure no one else was there. He pulled out a beer bottle that had been tucked in his belt, taking long swigs and occasionally stopping to pick his nose and examine what he had extracted. Alex grimaced with disgust when he licked one of these little discoveries off his filthy finger. "Ugh, you disgusting fuck," She muttered, lowering her Scoped .44 Magnum for a second, her face twisting with disgust. She raised the gun back to eye level. At this point the Raider stood, looking around the area and loudly singing "Let's Go Sunning."

It took everything in her to keep from bursting out in laughter when the Raider began to sing "Let's Go Sunning." She bit her lip harder, a small giggle squeaking out. Thankfully, the Raider was too far away to hear such a small sound, instead continuing to sing. Struggling to compose herself at such a ridiculous sight, she quietly cleared her throat as her finger tightened around the trigger, taking aim at the Raider's shoulder. As much as she would have liked to hear the Raider conclude his song, she was more eager to get down to business.

"Let's go sunning, it's so good for you. Let's go sunning, 'neath a sky of blue. Pretty flowers need the sun, this applies to everyone," The Raider sang as he relaxed against the car, secretly enjoying the feeling of the sun on his filthy skin and his favorite song. As far as the other Raiders were concerned, his favorite song was "Butcher Pete." He'd never hear the end of it if they discovered this, but he didn't care at the moment. The others were too busy keeping camp. "Life's worth livin', when nature's givin', happiness to everyone, so let's go-" His song was interrupted by the loudest gunshot he had ever heard, and his left shoulder suddenly exploding with gore. He screamed in agony, dropping his Combat Shotgun. Another gunshot sounded, this one hitting his right kneecap. He fell on his back, unimaginable pain coursing through his knee and shoulder. He writhed in agony as he struggled to reach his Combat Shotgun. He wouldn't be able to shoot for hell now, but he wasn't going down without taking a chunk out of the bastard that did this to him.

Alex ran along the top side of the overpass, bounding agilely down some rubble and onto the highway below. She watched the Raider writhe on the ground, trying weakly to grab the Combat Shotgun that had managed to evade him thus far. As she approached him, she laughed, casually strolling over and picking up the Combat Shotgun. "Reaching for this, Mr. Let's Go Sunning?" She asked sarcastically with a sadistic grin as she held it just out of his reach.

The Raider's face flushed red with embarrassment. As if it wasn't bad enough that he had gotten shot by some bitch who was currently teasing him with his own gun, she had heard him singing the most embarrassing song imaginable. "Give me back my gun, you whore," He snarled, weakly reaching for the Combat Shotgun.

Alex laughed. "Sure," She said with a grin before roughly slamming the stock of the gun into his injured knee.

He cried out in pain. "You bitch! You'll pay for that!" The Raider hissed through locked teeth as he grasped at his injured knee.

Alex let out a small giggle. "Oh really? We'll see about that," She said in a slightly more threatening tone as she walked several feet away and put the gun and her bag on the back of a car, both out of the Raider's reach. She produced a Chinese Officer's Sword from seemingly nowhere. This one was different though. It was cleaner than others and there was a small switch on the handle. The Raider looked on in curiosity mixed with fear. The girl seemed oddly familiar. Not like he had ever met her, but something about her weapons and her persona seemed like he had heard of her.

Alex turned around with the sword in hand, twirling it gracefully through the air a few times, enjoying the look of fear that appeared on the Raider's face. She flipped the little switch on the handle, hearing the familiar crackle as blue electricity suddenly danced along the blade.

Two thoughts suddenly clicked in the Raider's mind. First, she was that insane Lone Wanderer bitch from Vault 101 that Three Dog was constantly talking about on GNR. Second, if this was the infamous "Capitol Crimelord" as Three Dog was currently calling her, (as Three Dog seemed to come up with a new alias for her every few weeks) then he was fucked. "Who the fuck are you?" The Raider demanded, holding his shoulder with a wince of pain.

"You probably know me as the Capitol Crimelord," Alex said, rolling her eyes at Three Dog's stupid nickname, "But the name's Alex."

The Raider's heart kicked into fourth gear. With some of the horror stories he heard about this bitch, he would probably be in agony for a while. Out of every Wasteland asshole, she had to run into him. His eyes began to rapidly shift around, hoping the rest of his team would come out of nowhere, ice this bitch, and save his sorry ass. "Help! Guys! Please!" He yelled.

"I wouldn't yell too much if I were you. You'll probably attract some hungry Mole Rats or something," Alex deadpanned in a disinterested tone as she examined the blade.

"Fuck you!" The Raider spat. He grabbed the Combat Knife from the scabbard hidden under his tattered and filthy shirt. He threw the blade hard, flicking his wrist like an expert knife thrower. Alex casually side-stepped the move, the blade burying itself in the tire of the car, where her legs had been seconds ago.

"Now that wasn't very nice," She said, stooping to pull the blade out.

"You fucking bitch! Just let me go you whore! What do you want from me?" The Raider shouted at her, his voice sounding on the edge of panic as she pulled the blade from the tire.

"You getting scared?" Alex asked in a mocking tone, "Doesn't feel so good to be on the opposite side of the torture, now does it? Do you feel helpless, terrified, alone? Good," She ended on a deadly serious note, her eyes narrowing as air continued to hiss from the tire. The Raider opened his mouth to reply, probably with more obscenities, but Alex turned the beginning of his sentence into a scream of agony when she suddenly rushed forward and sliced off his uninjured leg with the sword. The Raider screamed and thrashed about, slamming his limbs around despite the pain that emanated throughout all of his wounds.

Alex watched with an amused expression and a sadistic grin until the Raider stopped thrashing. She grabbed her bag and the Raider's Combat Shotgun and sat several feet across from him. She pulled out her own Combat Shotgun and placed it beside the Raiders, replacing the worn parts in her gun with the ones from the Raider's. Her dark green eyes switching between her work and the bleeding out Raider.

He saw her take a seat across him and calmly start fixing her Combat Shotgun, her eyes drifting between her work and him. He was still whimpering in pain, watching the stump that had now been created in the middle of his thigh bleed everywhere. His mind was in a state of panic and disbelief as he tried to think of some way to stop the bleeding. Without anymore thought, he ripped off his belt and fastened it tightly around the top of his leg. Next he ripped off his bandolier and tied it near where his leg had been severed.

He struggled to form words to beg with Alex as she fixed her weapon. His words came out as gibberish, meaning nothing to her. As Alex finished her weapon, she gave another look at the Raider. His light blonde, dirty Mohawk had flattened against the side of his head, his skin considerably paler. Alex stood, brushing dirt off of her pants. "Well, I've enjoyed your company, and I'm sure you've enjoyed mine, but I must go," She said in a detached tone as she drew her Scoped .44 Magnum, checking the chamber to make sure it was loaded.

This was his last chance to plead with her. His mind cleared a little, survival mode speeding back up. "Please, I'll change. Just help me. Get me to a doctor, get me some help," He pleaded weakly, looking up at her with pleading eyes as she placed the barrel of the gun against his forehead.

"Go to hell," She responded coldly before she pulled the trigger.

Alex smiled as she walked away from the Raider's lifeless body. "I fucking hate Raiders," She spat to the empty air as she pulled out her newly fixed Combat Shotgun and held it tightly. She walked for a short while until she spotted some more Raiders meandering around down the street. She gave a quick glance at her Pip-Boy map, realizing that she was now in the Fairfax Ruins, and almost home. She gave a sigh of annoyance at having to clear out the Raiders again, but decided this should at least give her a chance to kill some more assholes.

She crouched low and dashed over to the alleyway across the street. She braced her back against the wall and peered around the corner at the Raiders. They stood talking amongst themselves near an old bus stop, paying no attention to her. She quietly made her way down the alley, going around the corner and glancing at the two yellow dumpsters that sat there. Three ammo boxes laid to the left of the dumpsters. A solo Raider walked further down the alley, facing away from Alex. She pulled out her Chinese Officer's Sword, Jingwei's Shocksword to be exact.

She didn't flip the switch, instead sneaking up behind the Raider with the blade ready. She swiftly darted her arm around to the Raider's face. She covered his mouth and put the blade to his neck, quickly slitting his throat. She shoved the Raider to the ground, watching him gurgle for a few seconds before he died. She searched his body, retrieving five caps and some rounds for her Hunting Rifle. She searched the ammo boxes, receiving rounds for her Assault Rifle and five Frag Mines. She nearly left the mines there, until she came up with a great idea. She flung open one of the dumpsters and threw the Raider's body inside. She made her way back to where she had entered the alley and placed one of the mines around the corner closest to the Raiders.

Alex pulled out her 10mm pistol and glanced at the Raiders again. It looked like they were bickering now, she could hear the first male yelling something about a dog at the other, unseen male. She aimed her gun around the corner and shot once at the Raiders.

"Shouldn't Ripper be back from his route on the highway by now?" Princess asked her male companions.

King laughed. "That jerk-off is probably touching himself. By the way, why doesn't he come up with a new name for himself? That fucking Ripper broke forever ago. He just sounds like a jackass now," King added, rolling his eyes.

"Better than the fuckhead that calls himself King," Hound mocked him.

King scowled. "Says the guy that named himself after a fucking dog. Any more talk like that and I'll shove that Missile Launcher up your dirty, stinkin' ass."

Princess let out a short laugh. Suddenly a bullet ripped into the side of the shelter that covered the bus stop's bench. "What the hell was that?" King said, looking towards the mouth of the alleyway with confusion on his scarred face.

"Probably the rookie screwing with us," Princess said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, I'm going to show that fucking rook what happens when someone decides to take a potshot at us," King snarled, pulling out his Assault Rifle.

"Stay here baby. Fuck that rook," Princess said, grabbing his bicep.

"Lemme go babe. It's not like your never gonna see me again," King responded, giving her a toothy grin. Princess let go of his arm and let him walk towards the alley. She gave a small sigh of annoyance, glancing at Hound.

"Stop lookin' at me. Just 'cause your fuckin' King doesn't mean you can try to bark orders at me," Hound growled at her, still peeved from when she had tried to make him take highway patrol.

She opened her mouth to tell him to shut the fuck up, when suddenly something exploded. "King?" She shouted, panic leaking into her voice. She grabbed her 10mm Pistol, moving to run towards the alley.

"Did you just shoot at me, you stupid goddamned rook?" The Raider snarled at the alley. Alex braced herself around the corner that lay further down the alley, near the dumpsters. She glanced around the corner just as the Raider stepped onto the Frag Mine. The mine blew him a few feet into the air, blasting his legs off and killing him instantly. Alex rushed forward, throwing another mine on the same spot.

Princess barreled towards the mouth of the alley, seeing splashes of red blood and black ash. "King?" She cried out. She saw him, laying the street, his legs laying several feet away. "Oh my God! King! Did that fucking rook do this to you?" She cried, rushing over and falling to her knees beside him. His eyes were open wide, his mouth slack. He was dead. "Nooooo!" She wailed, pulling his limp body to her chest. She didn't want to pull away from him, but she had to make that fucking rook pay.

She slowed her sniveling, pushed her dirty bright purple hair out of her face, grabbed King's Assault Rifle, and climbed to her feet. She began stalking towards the alleyway, a hard look of determination on her face.

Alex braced herself from her spot near the dumpsters. She heard the woman wailing the dead Raider's name. Eventually the wailing quieted to stifled sniffs and hiccups. "COME ON OUT YOU FUCKING COWARD! I'LL BLOW YOUR HEAD RIGHT THE FUCK OFF, YOU STUPID GODDAMNED ASSHO-" The woman's rant was cut short when she stepped on the landmine. Alex let out a quiet giggle at the woman's stupidity.

Hound heard Princess wailing, followed by an explosion. "Princess? King?" He shouted. He listened for a moment, hearing only silence. "What the fuck's goin' on here?" He muttered to himself. He picked up his Missile Launcher from where it lay near his feet. He walked to the wall near the bus stop, looking around the corner. He saw a small, pale hand throw a mine around the corner, King and Princess' dead bodies in the street. "Gotcha fucktard," He muttered, aiming his Missile Launcher at where the hand had appeared. He squeezed the trigger, the Missile flying through the air, leaving behind a white-gray trail of smoke.

Alex pulled the pin from the Frag Mine, tossing it around the corner. She heard something that sounded like a Missile Launcher firing. She quickly whipped her head to the left, not liking what she saw. The Missile was soaring through the air at an alarming speed with a white-gray tail. Her mouth twisted into an O of shock. She dove awkwardly backwards, her jacket keeping her elbows from getting scraped. She scrambled backwards, trying to get around the corner. The missile impacted with the mine, peppering the area with shrapnel, bits of broken concrete, and heat from the explosion. Alex had managed to get halfway around the corner, protecting her from the combined explosions.

Hound let out a bark of laughter, loading his last missile into the Missile Launcher. He confidently approached the mouth of the alley. Due to his Raider Wastehound Helmet, the smirk on his face would be unseen to the Frag Miner, if they had survived the blast. "Come on out you bitch!" He barked at the alley.

Alex scrambled to her feet, pushing her long black curls out of her face. She braced herself at the corner, her Scoped .44 Magnum at the ready. She could hear the Raider call her a bitch and tell her to come out. She rolled her eyes, "Fuck you!" She yelled back.

Hound was surprised to hear a voice, a female one at that, yelling fuck you. "I'm down to settle this that way. Just say the word, honey lips," He called back smoothly as he turned down the alley.

Instead of responding, Alex aimed her gun around the corner and took a quick potshot.

"Ooh, we got a feisty one!" Hound laughed aloud as a bullet flew from the corner and took a chunk out of the concrete wall nearby. He fired the Missile Launcher at the corner.

Alex heard the Missile Launcher fire again. Instead of looking around the corner to confirm it, she turned and ran at the dumpsters. She jumped, landing easily on her feet on the dumpster's lid, she dashed across the lid and jumped again, landing between the two dumpsters. The explosion took a chunk out of the wall, but left Alex undamaged. She stood up, making her way back to the corner.

Hound said nothing as he let the Missile Launcher fall from his dirty hands. He pulled his Combat Knife from his belt and made his way to the corner, his bandaged feet making no sound.

Alex listened intently, hearing nothing from the Raider. Did the jackass blow himself up? He came from nowhere, swinging a grimy looking Combat Knife in a wide arc for her stomach. "Oh wow," He drawled as he got a look at her, "I"m gonna have fun with you," His comment made Alex angrier. She swung her .44 at his head, but he quickly ducked under the move, punching her in the stomach. Alex stumbled back, coughing from the blow, but she quickly recovered, holstering her .44 and drawing Jingwei's Shocksword. She flipped the switch, electricity crackling over the blade. She couldn't see the Raider's expression due to his stupid cloth helmet, but she was certain he was scared. She grinned and swung at the Raider's leg.

Hound was shocked when she pulled out the electric sword. Suddenly, he didn't feel so confident. She swung faster than he could imagine and sliced at his leg. He jumped at the last moment, but the blade still sunk into his skin. He could feel hot blood seeping down his leg, but it was the least of his problems when he felt the electricity begin to tingle through his leg. It was a slight shock that relieved when he jumped away. "You whore!" He barked.

"If I was a whore, I would have jumped at the chance to have sex with you," Alex responded smugly with a sadistic grin as she swung the blade again, hitting his turned back this time.

The blade hit his back this time. The pain shocked through him longer, the blade laying against his back, stunning him. She quickly pulled the blade away, shoving it through his thigh. Hound screamed with pain as he saw the blade protrude through the front of his thigh. Waves of ripping pain and electricity shot through his leg. She ripped the blade out, allowing him to fall to the ground. He fell to his side, blood spilling out onto the concrete. He gasped, trying to crawl away. Alex pressed the blade against his back, letting the electricity flow into him. She drew her .44, firing a single bullet into the back of his skull. She flicked the switch on her sword, turning it off. She put her sword back into its sheath and her Scoped .44 Magnum back into its holster.

She gathered the three bodies and put them into the dumpster that already contained the first Raider she had killed. She contemplated clearing out the rest of the ruins, but decided against it. She was tired, and close to home. She produced a bottle of Whiskey from her bag. Pulling out the cork, she dumped the entire bottle over the bodies. She tossed the bottle inside the dumpster, hearing the glass crack. She reached back into her bag, this time producing a matchbook. She pulled a single match from the book, striking it against the rough black area on the matchbook, she then tossed the match into the dumpster. The bodies set ablaze, the smell of charred flesh filling the air. Alex didn't mind though. Hopefully it would send a message to the next group of dumbass Raiders that decided to call these ruins home.

Alex made her way across the small courtyard that was directly opposite from the alley. Her mind was brimming with adrenaline from the recent kills, keeping away any thoughts. She lived in quite the unconventional home. It was an old car dealership. When you walked through the door, there was a large open space in the middle of the room, dominated by two cars. After walking through this area, there was a space that appeared to be where people would fill out the papers for their new car. There was a small office area, and the rest of the waiting area was couches and tables. Alex had managed to make the place much more suited to live in. She moved out the file cabinets and coffee machines, replacing these items with a large double bed, a refrigerator, end tables, and even a wardrobe.

The items had been a hassle to haul there. After replacing the tires on an old pull cart, she had managed to find a Brahmin that was tame enough to pull the cart. After managing to haul them there, she had her custom Mr. Gutsy assist her in moving the items into the building. She had found the Gutsy frenzied out in the Wastes. Ripping out its Fission Battery when it wasn't looking was pretty easy, but rewiring it was much harder. It would attack any unauthorized person who entered her home, which was good, seeing as she lived in the middle of nowhere, near Raider infested ruins at that.

Alex slammed the front door behind her, Wentworth turning to train his tracking sensors on her. "It's just me," Alex said to her robot butler as she made her way into the living area, throwing her bag on the couch.

"Why hello Miss Alex. How many bastards did you kill today?" He greeted in an excited tone.

"It was a long day, so just enough," Alex said with a short laugh at the robot before she heaved herself on the bed, "Did anyone try to get in?"

"Three Raiders attempted to enter, but the only thing they took were their last breaths," Wentworth responded, his blood encrusted saw rotating idly.

"And you disposed of the bodies according to my instructions?"

"Yes Ma'am. The bodies were deposited in the dumpster at the nearby gas station, then burnt."

"Thank you, Wentworth," Alex responded, kicking off her boots and laying back on the blue covers of her bed, falling asleep a few minutes later.


End file.
